Adventures outside Ann Arbor

Thumbprints? Huh?

While having lunch with a really dear friend yesterday, we were discussing our travel plans for the summer, and specifically my trip to Mannheim, which starts on May 1st! She said one thing that stuck with me: the idea of “thumbprint” traveling, where you put your thumb on the map and stay within that circle.

That’s pretty much what I intend to do while I’m overseas–while I will be exploring Europe for the first time, I have a feeling I won’t have the time or energy (or money) to race around between countries and capitals. And although I’d love to see as much as possible, a month is a fairly short amount of time to spend in any setting, so I’ve decided to focus in on what I can explore locally. There should be plenty of options–Mannheim isn’t too far from Cologne/Köln, Neuschwanstein, or Nia classes in Heidelburg, all of which would be great to see and to experience.

I’m really excited to be taking this trip, and also that you’ve decided to join me vicariously through this blog. While a lot of my time in Germany might be spent cooking dinner in my dorm, I promise to get out and explore now and again. Check back here, and you’ll be the first to know about it! 😉

Oh, and let’s not forget the Spaghettieis–yes, it really is ice cream!! And I can’t wait to eat some.

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2 thoughts on “Thumbprints? Huh?”

It’ not very far from Mannheim to Heidelberg – less than 20 km. By car it takes little more tha 20 Minutes, by train about 40 Minutes. That should be within your thumbprint (maybe stretching it a bit). Have fun in Germany – you will like it.

Thanks so much! I’m very excited–for the food, the travels, and to use my German every day! I haven’t looked into trains very much yet, but imagine they’re what I’ll mainly be using to get around. I’ll be figuring out a lot of things once I’ve arrived, but then again, that’s all another part of the adventure!

About Me

Hi! I'm a college student and a native of Ann Arbor, Michigan, studying German and many other interesting things at the University here in town. I love to write, read, draw, and sometimes play video games, but my favorite things ever are cooking, eating, and taking my dog on walks. I'm a Leo, and summer is my favorite season!! And I can't WAIT to discover some of Europe this May and June.